Hostile Merchant

[hal9000]

I've noticed that when I see an enemy indicator and then kill them from a distance, sometimes they are "Merchant" or "Merchant's Escort"...not sure if this is intended, do bandits have such NPCs in their groups? I also noticed that the Merchant ("Malachy") at the Deserted Settlement goes hostile as soon as I approach. I have read that this merchant can be interacted with and items bought, so I'm wondering if I did something to trigger hostility or if it's a glitch. And I'm wondering if these two things are related.

[Blackdragon]

Only the merchants in the keep/city matter. The very few merchants who are outside (I've met two) are immortal and don't aggro on you if attacked.

There are some NPCs who are labeled as "merchants" in the wilds (notably the guy associated with the stonecutters' quest), and they can aggro at night (when they are possessed by the Weird and basically become zombies). AFAIK you can kill them without worry; the one with the quest in fact should be killed as a resolution to the quest.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Blackdragon:

Only the merchants in the keep/city matter. The very few merchants who are outside (I've met two) are immortal and don't aggro on you if attacked.

There are some NPCs who are labeled as "merchants" in the wilds (notably the guy associated with the stonecutters' quest), and they can aggro at night (when they are possessed by the Weird and basically become zombies). AFAIK you can kill them without worry; the one with the quest in fact should be killed as a resolution to the quest.

No disrespect, but your first sentence contradicts the second, and I'm confused. I don't think I've obtained the Stonecutter's quest, even though I'm pretty sure I've cleared all of them in the first area. But I did mention a named NPC merchant outside that aggros regardless of time of day. Malachy, and his two npc guards, in front of the house labeled "Deserted Settlement" on the map. They ALWAYS aggro no matter the time of day. Bug?

EDIT: I have read some vague references to a vendor selling "useless relics" that sounds like it may be Malachy, but i have no idea how you would get a quest that involves him, or why he always aggros.

[Dr. Thad]

Malachy at the deserted settlement near the north western edge of the map can be interacted with if you lure away his guards and kill them. He will de-aggro and you can buy relics from him at excellent prices.